1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a chair that is a combination ergonomic task chair and an exercise device. More particularly, this invention pertains to a chair that supports a person as a task chair and also interacts with a computing device to exercise the lower back of the person.
2. Description of the Related Art
In our modern world, people are spending more time sitting in chairs than in years past. Society has progressed from a labor force that performed primarily manual labor to one that performs office-type work. Whereas people used to sit for short periods of time, now people often sit for extended periods of time. It is not uncommon for a person to spend a working day seated and, upon returning home, to remain seated for the remainder of the day.
The human body is not particularly suited to remain in a seated position for extended periods. Lower back pain and injury is one of the most common and costly work-related medical problems in the United States. People who work in a seated position run a high risk of low-back pain and injury.
For continued good health it is important that chairs are ergonomically configured. For many years the science of ergonomics has been applied to chair design in attempts to solve the problem of lower back pain and injury from prolonged sitting. Chairs have become more comfortable and more supportive during this time. Yet the incidence and cost of back injuries associated with prolonged sitting continues to increase. Clearly, ergonomically sound chairs are not sufficient. In existing ergonomic chairs, the back rest and lumbar support are physically connected to one another, either rigidly, or by fabric or mesh.
For continued good health it is important that sedentary persons, such as those that remain seated for extended periods, exercise periodically. Attempts have been made to combine ergonomic chairs with exercise. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,121, titled “Exercise chair for the lower back” discloses an office chair that incorporates features allowing the occupant to exercise while seated. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,130, titled “Chair for the lower back,” that discloses an office chair adapted to allow the occupant to exercise. Although an improvement over standard office chairs, these attempts to provide for exercise with an office chair do not go far enough. Additionally, these chairs do not provide the proper resistance curve for the lumbar extensor muscles (linear and ascending instead of linear and descending). The improper resistance curve of these chairs encourages the user to move too fast, thereby creating dangerous momentum in an attempt to overcome the increasing resistance, resulting in increased risk of injury. These chairs also lack a feedback system to aid the user to insure the safe and effective performance of the exercise.
Exercise has the potential to reverse many of the degenerative spinal changes caused by prolonged seating. Such changes include muscular atrophy, increased fatty infiltration of muscle, decreased bone mineral density, and increased soft-tissue stiffness. Lumbar strengthening also provides the seated worker with a reduction of risk of low back pain and injury while away from work. Employers are often concerned about potentially harmful lifestyle activities that may increase the risk of injury. Lumbar strengthening has been proven effective for the prevention of low back pain and injury (with healthcare cost savings and increased productivity) in workplace settings with manual labor workers. Similar results are expected with seated workers
Various options are available for exercise programs that seated workers can perform at their work-stations. These programs consist of calisthenic type exercises to stretch and improve blood flow in the muscles stressed by prolonged seating. These exercises are indeed beneficial for this purpose. However, these exercises do not stimulate gains in muscle strength or increases in lumbar muscle morphology. Also, adherence to these exercise programs is often poor.
Much like a brace for a weak knee, an ergonomic chair provides external support for the spine. Greater stability and protection can only be achieved by strengthening the muscle groups that support the spine. The ergonomic chair enables the user to augment the internal support of their lumbar spine. The combination of external and internal support provides maximum protection against the stresses of prolonged seating.